Clemson notches ‘a landmark win’ for itself and the ACC
Clemson depicts the thrill of victory, LSU the agony of defeat. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Not to sound like the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, but the 45th Chick-fil-A Bowl featured the third-best matchup on this year’s cluttered postseason board. (Behind only Oregon-Kansas State in the Fiesta and Notre Dame-Alabama in the BCS title game.) You had LSU, which this time last year was preparing to play for a national championship, and Clemson, which at the dawn of 2012 was, er, readying to yield 70 points in the Orange Bowl.
And that recent history, divergent as it was, is what made the Chick-fil-A so enticing. LSU is a big-time program from The Only Conference That Matters, while Clemson remains a wild card from that basketball league. Clemson entered 10-2, same as LSU, but the orange Tigers closed their regular season by losing at home to a South Carolina team without both Marcus Lattimore and Connor Shaw.
This happened on the same day Florida State lost at home to Florida and Georgia Tech, recent conqueror of Lane Kiffin’s misguided minions, was beaten by 32 points in Athens. It was yet another in an extensive series of ACC reversals, and it left Clemson with still more explaining to do. How can such a conspicuously gifted aggregation whiff on most every big game?
Six Clemson players made first-team All-ACC, including quarterback Tajh Boyd, running back Andre Ellington, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, tight end Brandon Ford and two offensive linemen. All of which made it most curious that Florida State actually won the ACC, but that’s the Clemson way. These Tigers look sleek as long as they have the ball; it’s when they don’t that bad things happen.
Sure enough, a bad thing happened on the Chick-fil-A’s second snap. Sammy Watkins, technically a receiver, took a handoff and was greeted rudely by LSU’s Barkevious Mingo. Watkins fumbled the ball and hurt his ankle, and two plays later the orange Tigers were seven points behind.
That was the story of Monday’s first half. Clemson won the eyeball test — it outgained LSU 248 yards to 106 — but never got ahead. It managed to sack LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger, once a Georgia Bulldog, four times in the first quarter, but in the second quarter Clemson had a tying extra point blocked. Thus did it trail at halftime for the first time this season.
For all its success, LSU can sometimes outsmart itself, which is to say that LSU can leave you wondering if it knows what it’s doing. The team with the fifth-best rushing attack in the brawny SEC tried only eight true runs — we won’t count the Mettenberger sacks as runs, even though statisticians do — against the team with the fifth-worst rushing defense in the finesse ACC. So why, nearly everyone wondered, would a team that runs better than it throws try to make Mettenberger into Matt Ryan?
Apparently the long halftime recess gave Leslie Miles and Co. the chance to rethink. On the first play of the third quarter, Mettenberger handed the ball to tailback Jeremy Hill, who took it 57 yards. LSU led 21-13, soon to be 24-13, and the game had assumed an odd look: Clemson was making plays and gaining yards without really putting pressure on LSU.
The orange Tigers drew within 24-16 inside the final 10 minutes. Then they sacked Mettenberger a sixth — yes, a sixth — time, and now Clemson had a chance to tie. (For the record, there was once a time when some Georgia fans considered Mettenberger superior to Aaron Murray. No one thinks as much anymore.) It got the touchdown, the splendid Hopkins catching Boyd’s pass in the back of the end zone, but a two-point try was unavailing.
And there it stood, one group of Tigers who call their stadium Death Valley leading another group of Tigers who call their stadium Death Valley separated by two points with 2:47 to play on the final night of 2012. Then LSU lost its mind and, rather than run the ball, ordered three consecutive Mettenberger passes and, not surprisingly, had to punt.
To its credit, Clemson rose to this moment. Boyd, who passed for 346 yards, found Hopkins, who caught 13 passes for 191 yards, on fourth-and-16, and Chandler Cantazaro kicked the winning field goal as the game clock struck zero. For once, the orange Tigers didn’t turn into a pumpkin with midnight at hand. Instead they outfought and outsmarted one of the big boys from the biggest league.
And nobody could say justice hadn’t been served. The ACC Tigers had been much the better team, outgaining LSU by 236 yards, running 100 snaps to the SEC Tigers’ 48 and amassing 32 first downs to LSU’s nine. “This is a landmark win,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, speaking four minutes after midnight, and it had that feel.
“They kept playing, all the way to fourth-and-16,” the effusive Swinney said, and his Clemson Tigers might still be savoring this one when 2013 becomes 2014.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
157 comments Add your comment
A person SMART enough to know.....
January 1st, 2013
11:27 am
Chick-fil-A did it again.
They will probably have one of(if not) the BEST Bowl Games of the Year.
The Duke v Cincy game was great for the scoring in the last 55 seconds but the Chick-fil-A was great and intense fro start to finish. There was no lull in the game at all.
AtinSAV
January 1st, 2013
11:29 am
Incredible game by Boyd and Hopkins last night, but if LSU hands the ball off 40 times they win the game by 2 touchdowns. Worst play calling I have seen in a while.
Arthur Redding, Jr.
January 1st, 2013
11:30 am
As a Dawg fan pulling for Clemson, I couldn’t have been more thrilled with this game.
It shows what can happen when a bowl actually puts together a good match-up (and there are very few good match-ups in this year’s silly bowl line-up.)
Congratulations Peach Bowl! (I refuse to call a bowl by the name of its sponsor–the Meinke Car Care Bowl–are you kidding me?)
Congratulations Clemson–especially to that defense!
bamaguy
January 1st, 2013
11:30 am
Congratulations Alabama alumnus and 1992 National Champion Dabo Swinney!
A person SMART enough to know.....
January 1st, 2013
11:36 am
USC’s post game comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKxTbtG9QRM
that was great! How many times did Kiffin say the Cold weather and Wind were factors in the USC loss?
bamaguy
January 1st, 2013
11:43 am
The only people as happy as the Tech fans with the outcome are Tennessee fans.
*And I am with you on the corporate names, Arthur. It is and will always be, the PEACH BOWL.
Jason Smith
January 1st, 2013
11:44 am
Clemson has the talent to play with almost anyone, but they rarely do. LSU has the defense to play with anyone. On whole, it’s true, the ACC is not anywhere near the caliber of the SEC, but give Clemson their due – they kept playing. LSU had numerous opportunities to put the orange tigers away – but did not. LSU has always been a two sided team – and that caught up with them last night. Florida is a very similar team – let’s hope they do better.
Let’s also hope UGA takes this to heart and plays well against a Nebraska team that is dying to erase the Wisconsin taste from their mouth.
zeke
January 1st, 2013
11:46 am
Even a blind hog will find an acorn every now and then! Regardless of a one game win, the ACC is still a useless football conference! The SEC rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On the eighth day, God created the Oh So Mighty SEC
January 1st, 2013
11:56 am
“I believe LSU lost to two other SEC teams this year, Alabama and Florida….”
ah, you are right. my bad.
But the SEC is so good it could have been any of a number of teams they lost to.
The SEC is loaded with great teams, any of which would go undefeated in any other conference.
Why, just to name a few of these fear-inducing juggernauts:
Auburn
Tennessee
Ole Miss
Miss State
Arkansas
Missouri
Vanderbilt
Kentucky
Any of these teams would have run rings around “Clempson”, unless of course the refs, lack of motivation, and(insert excuse.. er, i mean legitimate reason for losing here) were to come into play.
BgTimeTECHFan
January 1st, 2013
12:06 pm
One things for sure, Clemson’s WR’s are way better then USC’s. Media made a big deal of Tech having to defend USC’s wr, USC would just be avegare WR in ACC.
Dawg '88
January 1st, 2013
12:13 pm
So let me get this straight….one win vs an inept offensive team and because of stupid coaching decisions like throwing the ball twice with 2 min left means more than this:
Georgia 42-10 vs Tech
South Carolina has beaten clemson 4 straight times outscoring them 124-54!
Florida embarrasses FSU in the last game of 2012 by ramming it down their throats.
Vandy routs Wake Forest in last game of 2012 and then routs NC State in the next game (bowl game)
One single win outdoes all of that? Really?!
tell the truth
January 1st, 2013
12:16 pm
SEC who??? Atta boy Clemson.
btw les miles is a
January 1st, 2013
12:24 pm
pioneer.
and ehs pioneer. he went to the same high school that i went to and graduated 4 years later.
go ELYRIA HIGH SCHOOL PIONEERS .
Bill
January 1st, 2013
12:30 pm
Nice win Clemson !!! Beating LSU sets you up for a huge 2013 season!!
Looks like GT and Clemson saved face for the the ACC. VT win was nice, but NC ST went belly-up.Duke did play well, but blew the game when they had it won. ACC only had 6 bowl spots filled , even with GT getting exemption. A Fla St win gives ACC winning percentage. Remarkable, considering the year ACC had.
GT and Clemson should be proud !!! Two outstanding wins under difficult circumstances.
tell the truth
January 1st, 2013
12:33 pm
Dawg ‘88 Did you watch the game??? Look at the stats. Clemson dominated this game. Typical idiotic comments by a 14 year old dawg fan
Delbert D.
January 1st, 2013
12:54 pm
Looked to me Clemson won it as much as LSU lost it:
“outgaining LSU by 236 yards, running 100 snaps to the SEC Tigers’ 48 and amassing 32 first downs to LSU’s nine.
Plus the sacks on Mettenberger.
Plus the fact that Sammy Watkins was injured on the first possession.
Hairy Dawg
January 1st, 2013
1:02 pm
And another thing. The pestky bugs beat that worthless Lame Kitten. He did not even have know how to stop high school gimmickey offense of fatso slob coach. The condom team look like they care less to be there and give the bugs a free win. It just a shames that both them could n’t lose game. But at least bugs got second rate coverage and win only because USC players not want to be there.
Dum-Bass
January 1st, 2013
1:07 pm
That’s strange! Mr. Bradley fails to mention that Vanderbilt beat UNC yesterday in Nashville TN. That’s the SEC over the ACC. Conveniently left that out huh? Also noticed last night that score was not even listed on the sports page. Maybe now, but wasn’t then.
go corn huskers go
January 1st, 2013
1:29 pm
beat them hashbrown stealing pooping in the library dwags.
hairy dwag....
January 1st, 2013
1:31 pm
get it right will ya. i guess you attended uga during the kemp years.
fyi it is spelled DWAG and pesky.
The Monger
January 1st, 2013
2:32 pm
Can we officially, call Aaron Murray…. Aaron “Pick 6″ Murray? I mean come on, seriously what is this like his 6th career pick 6 int, and what is 3rd in bowl games? He is the textbook opposite of “clutch”. The funny thing is fans actually think we could have beat Notre Dame with Murray. Not a Chance. He has failed in both SEC Championship Games, all 3 bowl games, against SC all 3 years, against Boise, against Florida all 3 years. I am including even wins like this year against FLA, because he still had 3 turnovers and only 150 yards. He is just not great or even mediocre in big games, he is terrible. Why does anyone want him back? Oh, because he racks up big yards against the Kentucky’s and Vanderbilt’s of the world….I forgot. Even if we beat Nebraska, it will be because of our defense forcing turnovers and our running game…Not Murray. Now watch some fan come on here and say, yeah but he passed for 300 yards and blah blah 2 touchdowns. Yet they fail to mention the 2 interceptions already (its not even halftime as I type this). And they think he can play like this in a National Championship game and win? Give me a break. Aaron Murray, the guy who WON ONE Big time game in 3 years at UGA (and that was thanks to 6 Gator turnovers). I’m done.
MaukaTiger
January 1st, 2013
2:37 pm
Maybe I missed it, but has anybody mentioned the 100 plays Clemson ran!? The SEC is known for big bruising linemen & linebackers (as well as speed). But after 100 plays, most will be big bruising paperweights. To me, Clemson’s fast offensive play was as much a winning strategy, as anything LSU did in producing a losing strategy.
Cutigerera81
January 1st, 2013
3:48 pm
Clemson was the better team overall, dominated stat sheet and the lines…without all American Watkins. Clemson is 2 bad quarters away from being undefeated. This is a top 5 team in 2013, get uga and FSU at home…big game @ scar to end season…dark horse for BCS title gm.
Reggie Ball
January 1st, 2013
4:09 pm
This just proves that the ACC is much better than the SEC.
The SEC is just full of blow hards.
GT RULES.
Reggie Ball
January 1st, 2013
4:11 pm
Nebraska will destroy the dawgs!
Hillbilly D
January 1st, 2013
5:26 pm
Way to go Clemson.
Hillbilly D
January 1st, 2013
5:29 pm
Nebraska will destroy the dawgs!
That prediction didn’t work out too well.
juice sourcer
January 1st, 2013
6:09 pm
Mel and 7576DAWG are morons. Fantastic and exciting game played by two of the better teams in the country playing their guts out to win. It’s what makes college football the best and Mel and 7576DAWG again are idiots for posting such stupid comments.
Dubious
January 1st, 2013
6:16 pm
MB–Chan’s firing by the Bills cries out for a column, even a short one. In his statementafter being shown the door, he made reference to turning around two teams. Could he possibly be referring to Tech? Also, he said the Bills will be the first team he will root for that has fired him.
This Just In........
January 1st, 2013
7:27 pm
Clemson gets it’s talent right outta Georgia, these boys were playing with a pride factor. LSU Isn’t invincible, and Matt Zattenberger needs to decide if he wants to be a QB or a “Party Boy”. He needs to grow up now, because he’s coming home next season and they’ll welcome him with a night he’ll never forget.Note to the SEC, can we please take Clemson and give Kentucky to the ACC. It’s gotta be the most even swap ever when you factor in the Basketball aspect.
SEC Bama Fan
January 1st, 2013
7:40 pm
Bama grad here. Very proud of Dabo. However, note to Dabo. This was not the National Championship. Please stop acting like your are an interim coach! No wonder they call Clemson “Auburn with a lake”.
Jimbo
January 1st, 2013
8:07 pm
Being a die hard Georgia fan seeing LSU and Les Miles lose that game was nothing but Sweet. On the other hand an SEC team losing their Bowl game is not something I really want to see. Mark, I have a question about the South Carolina/Michigan game.
Then Clowney hit Smith and caused his helment to come off why was South Carolina allowed to recover the ball?
That play was reported two different ways:
Before running back Vincent Smith knew what hit him, Clowney was in his chest, hitting Smith so hard that his helmet flew 10 yards behind him. Of course Smith fumbled and of course, Clowney palmed the loose ball with his left hand while still on top of Smith, then got up and ran for a couple more yards.
South Carolina standout defensive end was quiet for much of the day, but shifted momentum in the fourth quarter with a big hit on Michigan’s Vincent Smith that sent the running back’s helmet rolling several yards backward and caused a fumble that the SEC defensive player of the year recovered to set up Shaw’s TD pass to Sanders for a 27-22 lead.
According to:
RULE 4
Ball in Play, Dead Ball, Out of Bounds
SECTION 1. Ball in Play—Dead Ball
Ball Declared Dead
ARTICLE 3. A live ball becomes dead and an official shall sound his whistle
or declare it dead:
q. When a ball carrier’s helmet comes completely off.
The play should have been blown dead and Michigan would still have possion of the ball.
I replayed that play backward and forward and stopped it throughout the process. The helmet was clearly off before the ball was recovered. Clowney led with his helmet into the facemask of Smith and should have either charged with a PF or ejected from the game.
Would you care to comment?
HammerMan
January 1st, 2013
8:08 pm
Clemson made the plays when they needed them. LSU did not stop these plays when they needed to. Both teams had chances to win or lose the game. This was one of the better games of the bowl season.
Clint Eastwood
January 1st, 2013
9:43 pm
The annual SEC vs. the world argument always amuses me. I see people castigating the SEC and people defending it. The bottom line is that the conference has won 6 straight National Championships. Like it or not that is the record. Whether or not Clemson outplayed, out-coached and out-thought LSU is not up for debate. They won the ball game without question. The only question was why was the game so close? Other than that they were the deserving team. With that said, someone posted the lineup of also-ran SEC teams. Fair enough. Well, let’s look at the ACC. Maryland, Duke, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Miami, NC State. Virginia, Va Tech,. Well, do I need to go on. Mediocre at best. However, at the top end the SEC rules. Nothing the ACC can offer up compares to Alabama, Georgia, Florida or Texas A&M. Nobody. Period. End of sentence. So, you can harp all you want about the also-rans of the SEC but look in the mirror and you will see basically an entire conference in the ACC that meets this billing. In addition, you don’t have the elite teams the SEC does so this assertion of yours is futile. When Alabama wins next week it will be 7 straight championships for the SEC and none for anyone else. Next question?
charles
January 1st, 2013
10:00 pm
No truly objective person would say that the SEC is not the best conference-however the misconception comes when folks say that some teams from other conferences don’t even belong on the same field with the mighty SEC teams-Clemson with exceptional players such as Boyd and Hopkins showed they have the talent and depth to compete against AND WIN against a top level SEC team!
Sandyspringsjacket
January 1st, 2013
10:19 pm
Hey 7576DAWG…..It is “Hail Mary”, not ” Hell Mary”. The UGA education never disappoints.
Arby
January 1st, 2013
10:24 pm
Les Miles…Not sure what to think of him. He has a hell of a defensive coordinator. The QB is inexperienced. Clemson offense is difficult to stop.; I think the time off helped Clemson tremedously!!
cloudodust
January 1st, 2013
10:27 pm
ACC usually allows it’s first pick after BCS Bowl considerations (consider the odds or impossiblity that the ACC sends 2 teams to BCS games at which point the CFA gets the 3rd best from the ACC) to the CFA Bowl. The SEC sends it’s 5th place team unless two teams from the SEC play BCS games (Alabama, Florida 2012-2013) then the CFA bowl gets 6th best SEC team consideration. That’s near a mid-pack SEC team vs near cream of ACC talent. I’d say the deck is stacked against the SEC in the CFA Bowl using the formula as I read it.
Arby
January 1st, 2013
10:29 pm
I think the Pac 10 or 12 whatever is pretty darn good this year. Souther Cal has to be the biggest flop out there. There is something wrong over there with that Coach. USC showed up late for the award dinner for the Bowl Game. Ga Tech was early and waited approxiamatley an 1hour and a half. They are an embarrasment to the NCAA. I think they need to investigated again.
SecFan
January 2nd, 2013
12:25 am
Can’t wait until the LSU-Georgia game next year. If it’s close in the last five minutes, we’ll get to see a clock-managing duel of wits between Mark Richt and Les Miles. Confusion and befuddlement could be taken to a level never witnessed before. Ain’t college football great?
james
January 2nd, 2013
1:25 am
Even with Clemsons being a hard team to beat, it don’t make no sense at all that they come to Georgia and beat Auburn and LSU both when Clemsons don’t have Sammy Watkings for neither game. And beat Auburn 2 years in a row to end they national championship streak. But that one I understood because Clemsons had Sammy for that first 2011 win on Auburn to end the championship. Sammy did run wild on them in that one. But it don’t make sense Clemson to beat Auburn and LSU this year and no Sammy Watkings on these two games. Clemson is tough and will be with you close even if you beat them. But they acting like they don’t want to take nothing off of LSU and straight talked trash right back at LSU early in the Dome.
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 2nd, 2013
5:38 am
LSU, like Florida, is pretty much a one dimensional team on offense. Clemson simply put 8 in the box and stopped the run. Muttenbubba has a long way to go as a QB.
Flo- Ri - Duh
January 2nd, 2013
5:41 am
Don’t be giving Clemson a bunch of credit for beating Aubarn… who UGA demolished before half time. LSU – o.k. but Auburn really is in total disarray.
speck
January 2nd, 2013
7:20 am
Nice job overlooking a big Tech win. “Let’s talk about Clemson!” Yeah, let’s do that.
Call It Like It Is
January 2nd, 2013
7:51 am
Well I will have to say that I really enjoyed watching the jackets stomp USC and Lame Kitten. On one side we have the jackets coach dressed in a light top, taking control of the game, the other we have Lame in a hoodie over his head with dark sunglasses, looking like the uni-bomber. Karma baby I love it. Going from being ranked #1 per-season to getting your arse stomped by the jackets. Great way to start the year.
CLEMSONDUDE
January 2nd, 2013
8:12 am
GREAT WIN for The Orange and Purple Tigers!!!!! Clemson continue to move in the right direction..Sure there has been bumps and holes in the road but Clemson will see great things in the next several seasons. This program is Damn serious about making a statement! Go Tigers! and Thanks Dabo!
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
January 2nd, 2013
8:44 am
Frank Howard would be happy with the way Clemson played. Congrats to Dabo and the Tigers. Dabo is growing as a HC and 2013 will be a big year for his program.
@eidsonb
January 2nd, 2013
10:44 am
Wal-Mart UGA fans….thats funny as Hades…I call them Bar Room….also Les Miles once again and his clock management skills….throwing not once, not twice but three times on that last possesion and Clempson didnt even have to call a TO….
GTT
January 2nd, 2013
11:40 am
Texas A&M and Oklahoma is a better matchup on paper than LSU and Clemson. May not be a better game, but then again, it might.
GT1128
January 2nd, 2013
12:17 pm
Does Babble Swinney have any self control? I’d suggest he enroll in a nearby school to teach him there are other words besides “frickin”.